[Childcare] From small to large groups! A collection of fun game ideas
Kids who love to play! Their innocent, adorable excitement as they find something fun every day is a joy to see.
Through lots of play and a variety of experiences, we hope they grow freely in both mind and body.
In this article, we’ll share plenty of fun game ideas for childcare settings.
It’s packed with activities you can enjoy at preschools or at home! Choose games that suit children’s ages and developmental stages, or adjust the rules to match their interests, and they’ll have even more fun.
Enjoy a wonderful time together!
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[Childcare] From Small to Large Groups! A Collection of Fun Game Ideas (141–150)
Mukkuri Kuma-san
Mukkurikuma-san is a game where everyone wakes up a sleeping bear—but once it wakes, it will try to eat you, so you have to run away! Choose one person to be the bear and have them crouch down.
The children form a circle around the bear, hold hands, and walk around while singing.
The song is used to wake the bear, but the bear doesn’t wake easily.
Once it does wake up, run as fast as you can so you don’t get caught! If you’re caught, you become the next “it,” the bear.
It’s a very simple group game that even younger children can play.
Musical Chairs
A classic recreation game: musical chairs.
Prepare one fewer chair than the number of participants, arrange the chairs in a circle, and have everyone walk around them.
Playing music makes it lively and easy to follow.
When the music stops, everyone must stop and sit in an empty chair.
Whoever can’t sit loses; remove one chair and continue until only one person remains.
If younger children are playing, it may be good to start with more chairs than participants at first and then reduce the number from there.
Mr. Wolf, what time is it now?
A great game for when you want to run around and play outside is “Mr.
Wolf, What Time Is It?” First, choose one person to be the Wolf, who does the chasing, and the rest are Little Goats who run away.
The Little Goats ask, “Mr.
Wolf, what time is it?” The Wolf answers with any time they like.
In the version shown in the video, the Little Goats move forward the number of steps matching the time called.
When the Wolf says “12 o’clock (midnight)!” the Wolf starts chasing, and everyone else runs away to avoid being caught.
You don’t need any equipment, and it’s recommended for children around age three who can run a bit.
Since you have to run as soon as you hear “12 o’clock!”, it also helps develop attention and alertness.
What shall we make with rock, scissors, paper?
It’s a hand game song where you combine rock, scissors, and paper hand shapes to transform them into all sorts of things! Make both hands into scissors to be a crab, both hands into paper to be a butterfly, or combine rock and scissors to be a snail—depending on the combinations, you can create many different shapes.
Before starting the song, ask the children questions like, “What could we make with paper and rock?” Then turn their ideas into original lyrics and sing—this will make it even more exciting! For teachers, it’s also great fun to see what imaginative ideas the children will come up with.
Silhouette Quiz
Let’s use hints and silhouettes to find the answer! Here are some silhouette quiz ideas.
They’re perfect for older preschoolers to enjoy while building their observation skills.
Show silhouettes of animals or objects and have the children guess what they are.
Because you give hints as they answer, kids can tackle the challenge with confidence.
For variations, you can reveal the silhouette little by little in a step-by-step silhouette quiz, or let the children touch the actual object and use that as a hint.
Learning visually helps nurture interest in colors and shapes, making it a fun way to learn!
Drop the Handkerchief
Hankachi Otoshi (Drop the Handkerchief) is a game that tests two skills: noticing when a handkerchief has been dropped and dropping it without being noticed! Everyone sits in a circle while one person walks around the outside.
As they circle, they secretly drop a handkerchief behind someone and run.
If the person notices, they chase the dropper—if they manage to tag them, the dropper is safe; if not, the person who didn’t catch them becomes the next “it.” It’s fun to see the differences in children’s behavior—some never notice the handkerchief, while others make it obvious when they drop it! If you play indoors, the floor can be slippery, so teachers should stand around the circle and provide solid support.
Playing bus (pretend bus play)
Let’s pretend to be a bus driver and passengers while singing the Bus Play song! You need a ticket to get on the bus.
Once you’re on, beautiful scenery spreads out the window, and on mountain roads the bus can sway and rattle a lot.
While sharing bus manners, the fun of riding, and things to watch out for, everyone can enjoy the feeling of taking a bus together.
Children in kindergartens and preschools probably haven’t ridden public buses very often.
This hand play might spark their curiosity, and some may say, “I want to ride a real bus!”